John Wyman Jr. (1816-1881), born in in Albany, New York, was a successful magician and ventriloquist, billed as "Wyman the Wizard". He entertained several U.S. Presidents, including Martin Van Buren, Millard Filmore and four times for Abraham Lincoln. For a time, Wyman was under the management of P. T. Barnum.

Wyman was one of the first performers to present "Gift Shows". These were performances where the performer gave gifts or prizes like gold and silver watches at the end of his shows. He was known for giving quality prizes. Houdini called Wyman one of the most honest men of our profession. He was one of the most financially prosperous entertainers of his time.

During his career, he lived in Baltimore Md, Washington D.C. and eventually he made Philadelphia his home and continued to live there after his retirement. He later moved to New Jersey, where he owned real estate where died in Burlington.

Wyman may have been the first performer in the U.S. to present a full evening show as well as the first to perform the Bullet Catch routine.[1][2][3]

His sister or wife, Miss J. E. Wyman, toured with him for a number of years when she was about 16.[4]

Books

Wyman's Hand-Book of Magic (1850)

Ventriloquism Made Easy Also An Exposure of Magic by Our Ned (E. Mason Jr.) published by Wyman the Wizard (1860)

Jokes and Anecdotes of Wyman, the Magician & Ventriloquist, published in Philadelphia in (1866)